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Rock Band 3 Confirmed for Holidays, Lady Gaga Next Week

Last we heard from Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, the media conglomerate was looking for a hefty refund from Rock Band creator Harmonix following a lackluster 2009. And substantial layoffs at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based developer cast the future of its music game franchise in doubt. But for now, at least, all is well. Today Dauman announced Rock Band 3 will ship for holiday 2010, and Harmonix welcomed pop megastar Lady Gaga to its roster of musicians.

Rock Band 3 news came via the Wall Street Journal, which covered Viacom's investor conference today in Florida, at which Dauman announced that his company has reached a new agreement with Electronic Arts to distribute the game.

Harmonix Communications Manager John Drake confirmed the news when he tweeted at 2 P.M. Eastern: "Viacom CEO and President Philippe Dauman has confirmed that Harmonix is working on Rock Band 3, for release Holiday 2010! WOOO!" Proving he's unbiased on the matter, Drake followed up with the tweet, "Also, it's going to be AWESOME. Confirmed."

Lady Gaga was the other news surrounding Harmonix today. The reigning pop queen's Track Pack, including "Bad Romance," "Just Dance," "Monster," and "Poker Face" will be available for download on March 16 for the Xbox 360 and Wii, March 18 for the PS3. In addition, South Park's take on Lady Gaga's "Poker Face," featuring Eric Cartman on vocals, will also be available for download.

Sharkey says: Two weeks ago we also covered the news from the Jimi Hendrix estate that the legendary guitarist would be getting the Rock Band treatment in time for holiday 2010. Harmonix simply said talks were ongoing, but the timing fits, and Hendrix would certainly be a huge boost to the franchise. Any musicians/tracks you'd like to see in Rock Band 3?